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Innovative Approaches in Sustainable Food Processing, Waste Management, and By-Product...
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Innovative Approaches in Sustainable Food Processing, Waste Management, and By-Product Valorization

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 December 2025 | Viewed by 291

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Lucía Seguí

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Guest Editor
Institute of Food Engineering-FoodUPV, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 València, Spain
Interests: food engineering; food processing; food waste valorization; functional foods development; drying; fermentation; in vitro digestion
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Cristina Barrera

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Food Engineering-FoodUPV, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 València, Spain
Interests: food engineering; food processing; food waste valorization; functional foods development; drying; fermentation; in vitro digestion
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the face of current sustainability challenges, there is a great demand for innovative approaches in the food industry, both in processing and waste management. As the emphasis on minimizing environmental impact and optimizing resource efficiency grows, the valorization of food waste and by-products plays a pivotal role in achieving these goals.

This Special Issue explores strategies to reduce food waste across the entire supply chain, from production and distribution to consumption, while advancing sustainable processing technologies that enhance resource efficiency, promote circular economy principles, and reduce the environmental footprint of food systems, contributing to global sustainability targets. It also investigates innovative methods for transforming food waste, by-products, side streams, and effluents into valuable applications, from functional ingredients to uses in agriculture, renewable energy, packaging, and more.

By contributing to this Special Issue, authors will help shape the future of sustainable food production and waste management, offering practical solutions for industries to adopt greener practices. Submit your original research articles, reviews, and case studies to be part of this collective effort.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Foods.

Prof. Dr. Lucía Seguí
Prof. Dr. Cristina Barrera
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • food waste valorization
  • sustainable food processing
  • circular economy
  • innovative and traditional processing technologies
  • value-added applications
  • nutritional characterization
  • technological characterization

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

33 pages, 8302 KB  
Article
Pilot-Scale Thermo-Pressure Hydrolysis of Biowaste and Silphium perfoliatum for Efficient Natural Fiber and Pulp Utilization in Paper and Biogas Applications
by Marian Baumgart, Franziska Müller, Benedikt Hülsemann, Joachim Müller and Hans Oechsner
Sustainability 2025, 17(21), 9667; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17219667 - 30 Oct 2025
Abstract
Residual and waste materials such as biowaste and the perennial energy crop Silphium perfoliatum (cup-plant) contain high fiber contents, which limit their energetic utilization in biogas plants. Pre-separating the fiber fraction can improve overall valorization. The recovered natural fibers can be further used [...] Read more.
Residual and waste materials such as biowaste and the perennial energy crop Silphium perfoliatum (cup-plant) contain high fiber contents, which limit their energetic utilization in biogas plants. Pre-separating the fiber fraction can improve overall valorization. The recovered natural fibers can be further used as raw materials, e.g., in paper production or fiber-reinforced composites. This study aimed to optimize fiber extraction from biogenic residues and renewable raw materials using pilot-scale Thermal-pressure hydrolysis (TPH). Biowaste and cup-plant were used as substrates. Process parameters (150, 160, 170 °C; 15, 30, 60 min) were systematically varied to evaluate their influence on process efficiency, chemical composition, and functional properties of the resulting fiber and pulp fractions. Biowaste and cup-plant produced final products with similar dry matter (DM) contents—fibers (~36% DM) and pulp (~3.2% DM)—but differed markedly in chemical composition: biowaste was richer in nutrients, whereas the cup plant contained more fiber. Sugar release from the cup-plant increased by over 1900% during TPH and, like the organic acids, was largely relocated to the pulp fraction. Methane yields of the resulting pulps ranged between 310 and 375 LCH4kgODM−1, significantly higher than those measured in the fiber fractions, which ranged from 180 to 250 LCH4kgODM−1. Approximately 55% of the total energy potential was transferred into the pulp. Despite the formation of organic acids and potential inhibitors during TPH, no critical threshold values were exceeded. The energy balance of the Biowaste fiber processing was neutral (biowaste: energy demand 475 kWh/t, energy yield from biogas 484 kWh/t). For papermaking applications, the cup-plant proved to be significantly more suitable, as the heterogeneity and contamination of biowaste limited its material usability. The results highlight the potential of TPH for the combined energetic and material utilization of biogenic residues. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Approaches in Sustainable Food Processing, Waste Management, and By-Product Valorization)
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